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THE WEEK; Voters Say Yes to Ballot Questions

Voters in New Jersey approved three ballot questions on Tuesday that dedicate millions of dollars toward property tax relief, the state parks system and transportation. Now the professionals will decide how to spend the money.

Question No. 1 dedicates half of the estimated $625 million a year to be raised from the state's penny-per-dollar sales tax increase to property tax relief. The measure, which was approved by 66 percent of the voters, did not specify whether the money would be used to prevent future tax increases or returned directly to residents in rebates.

Joseph J. Roberts Jr., the Assembly speaker, said that the Legislature was working on several plans for the sales tax increase and would be awaiting a report on Wednesday from four joint committees charged with finding ways to reduce the state's reliance on property taxes.

"This represents a down payment on property tax relief, and a significant one," Mr. Roberts said.

The Legislature will not have direct control over the $15 million a year that Question No. 2, passed by about 60 percent of the vote, will dedicate for maintenance and repairs of state parks and wildlife areas.

The Department of Environmental Protection, which oversees the parks, will begin to receive money in January and then seek public input on how to meet its long list of needs, said Lisa P. Jackson, the department's commissioner.

Question No. 3 increased the amount of the state's 14-cent-a-gallon gasoline tax that goes into the Transportation Trust Fund to 10.5 cents from 9.5 cents. That translates into an additional $78 million a year.

In races for seats in the United States House of Representatives, 12 incumbents won re-election, and Albio Sires, a Democrat, won the 13th District seat vacated by Senator Robert Menendez for the remaining two months of the term, as well as a subsequent two-year term. The closest race was in the Seventh District, where Mike Ferguson, a Republican, defeated Assemblywoman Linda Stender, 50 percent to 48 percent.